Sunset where the Rapti meets the Narayani

The Narayani is the Gandaki under another name: the same river that starts in Mustang as the Kali Gandaki, picks up the Trishuli at Devghat and runs south through the Terai to the Ganges. By Meghauli it is wide and slow, with long sandbanks, and the Rapti flows into it from the east along the park boundary. Below the confluence the river flows on toward India.

Lodges take guests to the riverbank in the late afternoon. As the heat drops, cormorants and egrets fly up and down the channel, river lapwings call from the bars, and mugger crocodiles lie motionless on the sand. Wild gharials are seen here more than anywhere near Sauraha, though never on schedule. Bote families sometimes fish from small boats nearby.

As the sun goes down behind the Narayani, the sky turns orange and the far bank goes dark. Some lodges set up a simple drink and snacks on the sand. Bring a jacket in winter, insect repellent from March, and keep away from the water's edge. Most trips last about two hours.